Injured Body (And Heart)
by Kristen3
Summary: Set after "Kenny on the Couch." Niles must come clean about the injuries he got while trying to outdo Daphne at yoga, but his wife's reaction isn't at all what he expected. One-shot.


As Niles unlocked the door to his apartment, he mentally kicked himself. Doing yoga together with Daphne had seemed like such a great idea at the time, but now it had backfired. If Niles needed proof of that, the sling around his arm was more than enough. For some childish reason, he just _had_ to be as good as Daphne. Now he was paying the price.

Daphne came downstairs just in time to see her husband returning. "You and Ahmrit were gone quite a long time." But before she could question him further about his whereabouts, she noticed the sling. "Oh, dear!" She quickly came over to him, helping him to the fainting couch. "What happened?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Niles said dismissively. Almost immediately, he felt his nose begin to bleed. He had no choice but to tell her the truth. "Ahmrit took me to the emergency room."

"The emergency room? Niles, are you all right?"

Niles shook his head. "I dislocated my shoulder and nearly broke a rib. They wanted to admit me to the hospital, but I convinced them I'd be fine. I am a doctor, after all."

"How did this happen?" Daphne asked. She could hardly believe this. He had been fine the last time she saw him.

"Well…..I guess one could say….I'm not cut out for yoga," Niles finally admitted. He hung his head in shame.

"You did this to yourself when we were doing yoga? But why?"

"I hated that you were so good and I was terrible. I let my competitiveness get the better of me. It was stupid. You can yell at me all you want, but you won't say anything I haven't already told myself." The pain in his arm and rib were nothing compared to the ache in his heart. He was a sorry excuse for a husband.

Daphne wanted to give him a piece of her mind. He'd been in the hospital and didn't even tell her! Now that they were married, weren't they supposed to be honest? But something in the way he stared at the floor stopped her. Now wasn't the time for lectures. Niles was hurt, and not just physically. "Oh, stop beating yourself up."

Niles dared to look her in the eyes. He saw compassion there far beyond what he deserved. "I'm truly sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I should be bloody angry at you," Daphne said. "But I can see you're obviously hurting. You could probably use a rest."

"Yes," Niles said. "They gave me some painkillers that they said might knock me out."

"Let's get you into bed then," Daphne said, standing up. She offered her hand to help him up.

He took her hand, wincing a bit as he stood. He followed her up the stairs to their bedroom. Daphne gently helped him change into pajamas and get into bed.

"There. Is that better?" Daphne fluffed his pillow, making sure he was comfortable.

"Yes," Niles said. "I can't believe you're being so nice to me. I brought this all on myself. Growing up with Frasier, I always came in second. And then with yoga, the same thing happened. I couldn't stand it."

"Well, this isn't your proudest moment as a husband, but I'm not so mad that I can't see you need taking care of. Besides, it's like you said, I can't say anything you haven't already said to yourself. I promised to be by your side in sickness and in health. Even when the sickness is the result of your own foolishness."

With his good hand, Niles took hold of Daphne's fingers, bringing them to his lips for a kiss. "I don't deserve you."

"None of that," Daphne said, beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. "I'm only doing the same thing you'd do if the situation were reversed."

Niles knew she was right. If Daphne were injured, he would do everything in his power to take care of her for as long as necessary. "You're right," Niles replied. "From the first moment I saw you, the only thing I've wanted to do is marry you and give you the life you deserve."

"And you have," Daphne said. "I never dreamed I'd be living in a place like this. But now isn't the time for us to have this conversation. You need your rest."

A stab of pain in Niles' ribcage told him she was absolutely right. He groaned.

"Let me fetch you some water so you can take one of your pills." Daphne quickly went into the master bathroom, returning with a glass of water.

"Thank you, Daphne." Niles took the glass with his good hand. "The pills are in the pocket of my jacket." He nodded to where Daphne had put it after helping her husband take it off.

"Here you go," Daphne said, finding them in no time.

Niles looked into her eyes, thankful once again that she was his wife. "I'll make all of this up to you one day, Daphne. I promise you."

Daphne kissed him. "Don't worry about that now. What's done is done. I love you. Even when you do something completely daft."

As soon as Niles swallowed the pill, he began to feel its effects. He laid his head back on the pillow, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Just as he drifted off, he once again felt Daphne's lips on his cheek. He thought he heard her whisper, "Sweet dreams," but he knew that wasn't necessary. How could his drams be less than sweet, when he had an angel by his side?

 **The End**


End file.
